Pain and regret

Today I had the opportunity to ride in a chase vehicle during stage 1 of the Tour of Utah. It was intense. Those riders were flying. 87 miles and the elevation gain was quite intense. Were they in pain? I am sure they were. As I watched the lead riders I recalled what a friend of mine told me prior to an Ironman event. He said, "remember Joe, pain goes away but regret doesn't". The riders today were a great example of this. There was no giving up because things got tough. How often in life do we give up because the pain or challenges become too great? Pain goes away, regret doesn't.